Broken Circles
by Ksasera Aditi
Summary: Summary inside. Rating changed due to cuss words.
1. Andy

TITLE: Broken Circles

AUTHOR: Her Guardian Angel

SUMMERY: Another Story focusing around the Breakfast Club and what happens Monday. Andy finally stands up to his Dad when he is forced to make a choice, Allison finally gets her parents to look at her and Claire finds out who her real friends are. Meanwhile, Brian learns that there is more to life than grades, and how to help his mother see this too, and John has a little sister that was taken by social services, now years later she shows at Shermer High School. Knowing me, our favorite detention kids will be OoC.

DISCLAIMER: This will be the only disclaimer, I own none of it except Benders little sister, and no, she isn't a Mary Sue… I think… OH! And I was reading some fanfiction earlier and noticed that part of my plot, which won't show up for a while, was EXTREAMLY similar to TWBasketcase's "The World through the Eyes of a Basket Case" So I just wanted to say that that isn't where the idea came from but it is an awesome idea. BTW TWBasketcase, I loved the story.

A/N: I write because I enjoy it, not because I am good at it, so if you could let me know how to improve this story I would be greatly pleased. Also, each chapter will be written in a different POV, including Bender's sister later on, and other characters I added for my own amusement.

Chapter 1  
Andy

My alarm went off at four in the morning letting me know it was Monday; I looked out my window and could tell that it was going to be a beautiful day. With more energy than I had felt in a long time, I jumped out of bed and began my morning routine. During my run, I thought about school today; I didn't care what anyone thought, I was going to date Allison, and hell I would even hang out with Brian on occasion. I knew that hanging out with Claire wouldn't be an issue, but I would have to wait and see where things went with Bender.

When I got back to the house, Mom was up making breakfast in the kitchen and I didn't even think, I just let the smile come and kissed her on the cheek.

"Morning Mom." I reached around her and grabbed a piece of toast before heading upstairs to stretch out and shower. She dropped the spatula she had held in her hand and smiled softly, shocked at the sign of affection.

When I came back down for breakfast, Dad and Mom were sitting at the table eating. I jumped over the banister, slid into my chair and began to pile food onto my plate.

"Morning Pop." I grinned at my father.

Dad actually looked up from the newspaper he had been reading. "What has you in such a good mood? You aren't being distracted by some girl are you?"

"Aw come on Pop, can't I just be in a good mood? I know I'm going to kick ass on Saturday, and I found a solution to having that B in my math class." Both he and Mom looked at me as if I was nuts.

As I sat there eating my breakfast, I thought of the car that my parents had given as an encouragement to stay out of trouble on Sunday and I knew exactly who was getting a ride in it today.

"Hey Mom, What time is it?" I asked in between bites.

"Six O'clock, and don't talk with your mouth full!" She reprimanded.

"Sorry Mom," I apologized as I got up, "I need to make some phone calls, be right back."

Dad had gone back to his paper mumbling something about drugs under his breath. Walking over to the phone, I picked up our phonebook and quickly found Claire's number…

"Good morning, you have reached the Standish residence, this is Earl Standish." A male voice answered.

"Good morning sir, I apologize for calling so early but is Claire there?" I asked politely, "This is Andrew Clark."

"The wrestler?" Mr. Standish sounded pleased, "Hold on one moment."

"Claire darling, there is a young man on the phone for you!" I heard him call.

"Coming Daddy," Clair answered, "Do you know who it is?"

"Andrew Clark, sweets." Oh gag me please; this is worse than Bender's interpretation of Brian's home life.

"Andy!" Claire exclaimed into the phone causing me to pull my ear back.

"Hey Claire, look I was wondering if you were planning to keep the promise." I asked nervously.

"I… I don't know Andy; I mean my reputation would be at stake and…"

"And what about Bender?" My tone hardened, Bender was wild about her, and although I did not know where we stood, I was not going to sit by while Claire claimed his heart and then trampled it.

"What was the point of this call Andy?" Claire's voice went hard as well.

"I am giving The Breakfast Club a ride to school, but I won't give you a ride if you are not going to try to make this work." I told her, I was not sure if it was the greatest idea, but it was what I had to do.

"Sigh" I could almost see Claire closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "When are you picking me up Andy?"

"Is a half hour long enough? I still have to call Brian, Allison and try to get a hold of Bender." I looked towards the entryway and saw my mother standing there with one of her eyebrows raised and a small smile on her face.

"I will see you in a half hour Andy," she replied. "Oh and Andy? I promise I will make this work, but you will have to back me up ok?"

"I promise to help you make this work Claire," I held up a finger to my mom in a 'one moment please' gesture. "Bye."

"Bye and thanks." I heard the click of the phone and hung up.

"Hey Mom." I nervously shifted from foot to foot.

"Was that Claire Standish?" She asked with a sly smile.

"Yeah, I want to give her and a couple others a ride to school this morning." I could not look her in the eyes. "I still need to call this girl Allison…" trailing off I took a deep breath and asked her something I knew I was going to regret. " Mom, can I bring Allison over for dinner tonight? I want her to meet you."

"Allison? Who is this Allison?" Mom was confused and now very intrigued.

"This girl who goes to Saturday detention for kicks, she studies and draws and stuff."

"Detention for kicks?" My mom looked skeptical but sighed, "No she can't come to dinner tonight, but how about Saturday after your match?"

"Thanks Mom." Grinning I kissed her on the cheek and then turned back to the phone. Next, I called Brian.

"Yeah," an agitated female answered.

"Good morning ma'am, is Brian there?" I was not sure what to expect.

"Who is this? Brian doesn't have time to dally around, he does time worthy stuff like study!" The woman almost yelled into the phone.

"Andy Clark, star wrestler?" I replied almost questioning. "I was just calling to see if he wanted a ride and if he was willing to tutor me in Math. It would look good on his applications."

"Pick him up before 6:45 or don't show up." The line went dead. Shrugging, I looked through the phone book and continued my search.

At 6:30 exactly, I knocked on Claire's door and her dad, or so I assumed, answered.

"Oh, you must be Andrew, come in." He smiled wide and stood back.

"I'm sorry sir, we are running late and have some more people to pick up, and we really can't be late to class." I looked past him and saw Claire running down the stairs. "Claire, hey sorry I am late, come on we gotta go, we have 15 minutes to pick up Brian or his mother will kill me."

Claire just smiled, kissed her father's cheek and ran out to the car; I opened the door and pushed forward the seat, letting her climb into the back. It only took us 10 minutes to get to Allison's house, which was surprisingly across the street from Brian's. They both came out of their houses like they were on fire, Brian waiting for Allison to get to the car before opening the door and letting her slide in next to me. I kissed her on the cheek and noticed that with the exception of her jacket, her entire wardrobe changed. She was wearing a shorter skirt that showed off her legs and a short sleeved teal shirt that was visible underneath my varsity sweater. Her hair was styled, but not held back by a hair band. I smiled and shook my head.

"Hey Brian, sorry if I caused issues with your mom." I looked at him with a sideways glance. "I figured that if we were gunna stay friends then we needed to show up together."

"Not a problem Andy," Brian was grinning like crazy. "I mean, yeah I got the Spanish inquisition, but it was cool 'cause you guys are keeping your promise to still talk to me and that's just so amazing and..."

"Brian, you're rambling again." Claire chided softly, with a smile on her face as Allison made an amused squeak. Brian blushed and looked at his lap before sighing and watching the road with a slight grin on his own face.

"Hey guys, keep a look out for Bender, his number wasn't listed in the phone book but there was an address so I am going to drive around and see if we can't pick his lazy ass up on the way to school." I looked at Claire and noticed her slightly panicked yet excited look. It didn't take long to find Bender walking along the street in his multiple layers of jackets, his red bandanna hanging off his shoe. Slowing down, Brian rolled down the window and I hollered, "Yo! Bender!" His head whipped around to the car and we couldn't help but notice Claire's earring in one of his own holes. "You going to get in or is the Breakfast Club going to be one short?"

A Little Over Four Pages, Not Bad For The First Chapter. I Will Attempt To Make All The Following Chapters This Long. Let Me Know What You Think.


	2. John

A/N: I know this chapter sucks, if someone would like to give me hints on how to make this chapter better, I would be grateful. IN ADDITION, FOR THE SAKE OF MY STORY, ALL FIVE STUDENTS ARE JUNIORS AND WILL HAVE ONE MORE YEAR TOGETHER AT SCHOOL BEFORE LEAVING FOR COLLEGE.

Chapter 2

John

The sound of something breaking woke me up at 6:42 in the morning, quickly rolling out of bed, I threw on the outfit I had decided on the night before. Despite what the world thought, it took planning and precision to maintain the image of an "asshole-rebel-without-a-cause." Grabbing my bag, I quickly slid open my window and hopped out of it, making a mad dash out of the yard and down the street. I didn't even want to know what was going on back at my place.

It had been years since I had given as shit about them, about if they would even be alive when I came home. The reason behind this was that no matter what they do to me, the cigar burn on my arm included, none of it hurt as badly as the day that they had sent her away. I don't remember what it was that I had done, just that I woke up one morning and all her stuff was gone. I haven't heard from her in over eight years, and I tried not to think about her.

When I was a safe distance away, I removed Claire's earring from my pocket and placed it in my ear; there was no way I could allow the parentals to see the diamond. I honestly didn't know what was going to happen today, but the truth was I knew I had given Claire her first kiss on Saturday and was looking forward to being there for more of her sexual "firsts". Not that I only wanted her for her delicious body, but for her fiery personality too.

Reaching into my bag, I quickly pulled out the toothpick I had in there and started cleaning my teeth. I was still thinking about what I was going to say to them today, when I heard someone yell my name. Swinging around I noticed Dork, Allison and Sporto in a new car pulling over.

"You going to get in or is the Breakfast Club going to be one short?" Sporto yelled past the other two.

That made me pause, they were showing up together? Raising an eyebrow I had to ask, "So we are just going to show up at school "guns blazing'? Hit this social war head on?" I hadn't moved from my spot on the sidewalk, not sure if I actually wanted to do this or not.

"John, just get in the car." I heard her sweet voice calling from the backseat with impatiens.

Sighing, I knew I was whipped, and walked lazily over to the door. Allison scooted onto Sporto's lap and Dork got out, pushing the seat forward so I could climb into the back with Cherry. She looked surprised that I got into the car without a fight, and even more surprised when I leaned over and gently kissed her on the cheek and put my seatbelt on. The three upfront looked at me with shock, and then Sporto chuckled as he gently pushed Allison back into the front center seat. Allison gave a happy squeak and Brian kept his eyes lowered as he slid back into the car.

The car ride to school was quiet and the tension was thick, Dork kept rambling about something that was happening at school today, the rest humoring him while I stayed silent. Pulling into the crowded parking lot, Dork and Sporto got out of the car, Sporto holding out his hand for Allison to take. Blushing, she let him help her out of the car and Dork pulled the seat forward for us; I quickly got out of the car and turned raising an eyebrow at Claire as she waited expectantly. It wasn't until she threw a glance at Allison and Sporto that I realized that what she was waiting for, and I had to give her that lazy half grin before holding out my hand to her.

When she got out of the car, I took her bag and swung it over my shoulder before wrapping my free arm around her shoulder. I looked around the parking lot and noticed that we were already getting a lot of attention from other students that were waiting outside for the warning bell. Claire snuggled into my side and looked at the others for strength; Dork was walking in between the four of us, Allison linking arms with him, causing him to turn beet red with what I assumed was both pleasure and embarrassment.

"Asshole," Sporto paused and turned to me, causing Dork to trip over himself, "I have some unfinished business to take care of with Brian, would you walk Allison to class for me?"

Allison shot me a look that clearly said I didn't have to, and so with I sigh I replied, "I dunno Sporto, my rep is going to be shot as is…"

"Just take Allison to class." Sporto kissed Allison on the cheek in front of at least 2/3 of the student body before dragging Brian off towards a group of nerds. Allison squeaked with pleasure before turning towards the school.

"Where do you think you're going missy?" I growled reaching out and grabbing her elbow, "Sporto asked me to walk you to class so I am walking you to class; we just have to drop Cherry off at the Math room before we head to English." I looked at Claire and noticed that she was looking around at the crowed we had attracted with an indifferent look on her face, but I could see the fear in her eyes. "Come on Cherry, let's head to class." I started walking with Allison on one arm and Claire on the other, teachers and students alike watching us in shock.

I had to admit, I actually was getting a high off the attention, and both Allison and Claire were clinging to me like a lifeline, anyone who sent them sneers or scowls, received my patent 'Fuck You' look. Even the look Claire's teacher sent me was worth any crap I would receive during the day.

"I will see you at lunch, k Cherry?" I ignored everyone else and despite my already shot reputation, I kissed Claire on the temple as I handed her, her bag. Allison threw her arms around Claire in a hug and whispered something in her ear. Claire nodded before smiling at me and walking into the classroom with her head held high.

Allison latched onto my arm again and tried to hide her face with her hair as we walked to English class. Upon our arrival, I guided Allison to the empty seat next to my reserved desk and allowed her to shrink into herself. Reaching over and opening up her sack, I pulled out the assignment that was due today and slipped my own completed homework under hers so no one would notice.

Mrs. Marker was pleased to see me hand her two assignments and gave me a slight smile before gesturing me to go back to my seat. No one knew it but I was carrying a 3.5 GPA and had scholarships up the wazzoo for colleges if I decided to go. I sat in my usual spot, using the desk in front of Allison as my footrest, just as the bell rang.

"All right class, all eyes up front!" Mrs. Marker said in an amused manner as all the eyes that had been starring at me and Allison turned towards her. "It's time for roll call."

"Alexander Kyles"

"Here ma'am."

The roll call continued as I turned towards Allison, she was starting a new sketch in her book; I rolled my eyes when I saw it was a sketch of Sporto.

"Allison," I asked lazily, "can I have my knife and lock back?"

She paused in her sketch for one minute before shaking her head.

"Why not?" I looked at her.

"My friends call me Ally." She whispered to me.

Sighing I wondered how the female race managed to make it out of their cribs. "I'm sorry. ALLY, can I have my knife and lock back now?"

This time she nodded and handed me her bag. I dug through it and noticed that she had taken out all the crap she had in there on Saturday and now only had the stuff she nicked from others and her schoolbooks. Smirking, I reached in, made a show of removing my possessions from her bag, and only paused when I heard my name called.

"Jonathan Bender"

The class began to snicker and I growled, "Mrs. Marker, how many times must I correct you, my name is JOHN BENDER, not Jonathan." Mrs. Marker just rolled her eyes and moved on down the list. I went back to what I was doing and handed Ally her bag back. Then I proceeded to rest my head against the wall and cracked my left eye open when I heard Ally's name called.

"Allison Reynolds"

"You know she doesn't talk Mrs. Marker." I replied in an even tone, "And since she doesn't talk, I will answer for her, she's here."

"That's nice of you John; however since Ms. Reynolds is ABLE to talk and just chooses not to, I am going to have to ask her to speak for herself."

Both Ally and I glared at Mrs. Marker and all she got out of Ally was a loud growl. Mrs. Marker just sighed and continued down the list. This time, when I closed my eyes, I fell asleep wondering what Sporto had been up to this morning.


	3. Brian

Broken Circles

Chapter 3

Brian

I watched Andy talking to my friends with such confidence and ease. Larry, the true reason Andy had dragged me along behind him when approaching my friends, had not come to school today and would not show up until Wednesday. However, Andy the ever overly confidant jock, decided that he and I would make a special trip to Larry's after school. I knew he felt bad about what he did, and wanted to try to make amends; and I knew he was going beyond what he would normally do just because Larry was a friend of mine, but I did not really care. We had yet to run into any of the other wrestlers, and I was unsure of what was going to happen, but the mere fact that most of my friends seemed to take a liking to him was pleasing.

"So how did you two meet again?" David, one of the least dorky of our group, asked.

"Dave," I sighed. "We already told you, we met in detention Saturday and Andy was the one that ducked taped Larry. We are going to Larry's after school because Andy honestly feels bad about what happened, now just drop the subject ok."

"Sorry Bri, just curious." I could tell that David was having issues getting past the fact that I befriended one of the 'enemy' but he was not going to pass up this opportunity either.

"Hey Andy," I turned to him, interrupting his conversation with Jake about which Star Wars episode was cooler, "How do you think the others are doing?"

"Ally has first period with Bender so she should be fine," Andy started, "as for Claire… well I really don't know Bri, all of the rest of the girls in her clique are in homeroom with her. We will just have to wait and see until Lunch."

Nodding I was about to ask another question when we heard the bell. The guys threw quick goodbyes over their shoulders before making a mad dash for class while Andy and I did this quick knuckle punch thing before heading our separate ways. My first class of the day was AP Physics and despite what many thought, we had several members of the wrestling team in my class.

"Yo! Nerd!" I heard one of them call as I entered the class.

"Yes Richards?" I asked politely.

"What were you doing with Clark this morning?" He growled at me.

"Ask Andy," I barked back as the teacher came in.

I saw the look of shock on the guys face since Andy only allowed a select few call him by his first name. If I remembered correctly, there were only three guys on the wrestling team given that privilege, this bit of insight made me smile as I started to take notes. Unfortunately, for me, the guys in my class who considered themselves friends with Andy were not satisfied with my response, for they kept throwing stuff at me during class, making it nearly impossible to take notes. I ignored them the best I could, and as soon as class was over I rushed out, but not before I read the last note that had been tossed at my forehead.

"You're walking on thin ice nerd. Watch out or what happened to Larry might look like a love tap."

It was unsigned, and I knew it wasn't a joke, I just thanked God my next class was with fellow 'nerds' and that John was in my woodshop class the following period.

Sorry this chapter was so short, I wasn't really sure what else to write about on Brian, but I will try to make his next chapter even longer than the others to make it up to you.


	4. Claire

Broken Circles

AUTHORS NOTE: I MADE SLIGHT CHANGES TO CHAPTERS ONE AND THREE, You might want to read them although they are not detrimental to the story.

Chapter 4

Claire

I knew I was screwed the second I walked into the classroom, I held my head high and started for my usual seat, a sweet smile upon my face. The girls looked livid, glaring at the door, where John had been standing and me alternately and I was jealous of Allison for a moment. She had first period with John and so she had no reason to fear the rest of the student body; no one messed with John Bender and lived. I slipped into my seat and turned to Catherine, my "second in command."

"Morning girls, boy do I have some news for you!" I gave them the smirk I always did before I was about to give them juicy and 100 true gossip for them to spread around school.

"What the hell was that Claire?" Catherine asked deathly calm.

"You mean my escort to class?" My smile turned genuine as I thought of my new friends. "That's part of what I wanted to tell you, you see..."

"Are you dating him, Claire, or are you using him?" Samantha, who sat directly behind me, questioned angrily.

"Well if you would just let me get my two cents in then maybe..." Boy, I just couldn't get a break today; before I could finish my sentence, the bell rang signaling the beginning of class. Immediately I pulled out a piece of paper and began to write.

_Yes, Samantha, I am dating John Bender but that's not the only new couple on campus, Andrew Clark and Allison Reynolds are dating now too. Oh and Brian Johnson is part of my new group of friends, not that they are replacing you girls, I could _NEVER_ do that!_

I tossed the note behind me and Samantha picked it up and read it before handing it to the rest of the girls. I didn't receive a reply, which caused me sit stiffer and actually pay attention to the teacher. I didn't know what to expect from the girls, but I knew that today was going to be hell; we all had the exact same class schedule, which meant I wouldn't see the BC until lunch.

Looking at my notes, after passing my half-completed homework forward, I knew that I would need Brian's help if I was going to pass this class. Brian had his own friends, I knew, but I couldn't help but wonder how this would affect his social life. I didn't want him falling into the same games that Andrew and I had to play; I didn't want him questioning himself on whether or not his friends would bail him out if he ever needed it. Shaking my head, I sighed and then stiffened when I saw a note land on my desk.

_If you truly value our friendship Claire, you will dump Bender, ditch Johnson and break up Reynolds and Andrew. You have until Physical Education to make your decision._

_Sincerely,_

_Catherine_

_Caroline_

_Missy_

_And_

_Miranda_

Underneath this letter was a second one addressed to her from Samantha, which Claire opened up immediately. The fact that she had not signed the other note was odd in itself, but then to write a separate note to her was practically mutiny if she was being exiled from the popular group.

_Claire,_

_Know that no matter what you choose to do, whether it is to ditch these new friends of yours or continue to hang out with them, I will stand by you. We have never been that close, but you were always there for me when the others wanted to cast me aside like trash and that means something to me. Let me know what you decide, and if you choose "exile" from _them_ then_ _I will talk to my sister and see what she can do for us. I already told the others that if you leave the group that I will go with you, that I don't care for their backstabbing and manipulative ways. Besides, Catherine and Missy are just pissed because they wanted Bender and Clark for themselves._

_Your Friend,_

_Sam._

I sat there in shock, Samantha had only been allowed into their clique because her older sister Sarah was the queen of the seniors, and they had contemplated facing Sarah's wrath so many times until Claire had stepped in and laid her foot down on the issue. It was no secret that Sarah would no doubt be prom queen for the fourth year in a row, having been elected every year since she was in ninth grade; and she would hold sway over who her successor was. Amongst the popular crowed, what Sarah said was law; and she was known for befriending everyone without thought to their social status both in and out of school. If Samantha was being honest, then Catherine and the others could very well become the very outcasts they detest.

Still, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do; I mean, did I really want to choose the BC over girls that I had known since I was five years old? The very girls I ruled Elementary, Middle and High School with? I sat there for the rest of the period thinking about what I wanted to do and how I was going to handle this, and it wasn't until Samantha placed a hand on my shoulder that I realized class was over. I stood, smiling at the four foot five blond next to me as I grabbed my stuff and walked with her towards English, knowing I would pass John on his way to Math.

Sure enough, he was walking down the hall with Allison, who was frantically scanning the hall for Andy. Samantha glanced at me and gave me an encouraging smile before looking at John as if she had known him his entire life. It threw John for a loop but he gave a cautious smile back, which was when I made up my mind as to what I wanted.

"Ally!" I squealed in delight and pulled her in for a hug, causing the occupants of the hall to stop and stare. "Where are you headed next?"

"I have art class next." She whispered softly.

"Good." She looked up at me expectantly, "If you run you might be able to catch Andy on his way to weight training."

With her trademark squeak, she ran off to class and I hoped she would catch up with him. Turning to John, I suddenly was nervous and gently bit my bottom lip having issues maintaining eye contact with him. Samantha came up behind me and took control of the situation.

"John, right?" she asked smiling up at John.

John frowned before he reached out and pulled her in for a hug. I jerked in shock, John Bender never hugged people, and before this morning, I was under the impression that public displays of affection were a huge no written in red in the book of John Bender.

"Cut the shit, Sammy." He growled as she stepped out of the hug, a huge grin on her face. "Since when do you know Cherry here?"

"Since forever, dummy." Samantha laughed, "And its Sam these days John. Or do I still get to call you Teddy?"

At John's horrified face, I laughed with Sam and stepped forward to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't worry John," I said, loving the goofy smile that covered his face. "I won't tell anyone that big bad Bender is just a big softy." John frowned again before rolling his eyes and pulling me in for a real kiss before pushing me backwards and walking fast to his next class.

Turning to Sam I demanded, "You know John? How long? Are you two friends? Exes? Family?"

Her smiled vanished and all she said was, "We have known each other since birth, and we had a mutual friend who is gone now. He hasn't spoken to me in years."

Our trek to English was quite after that, but I did notice the smile return to Sam's face when I smiled at Brian and waved to him after he called out my name, waving as if his entire world depended upon my response. It wasn't until after I sat down that I realized it was possible that his entire world did depend upon my friendship and that of the rest of the BC.


	5. Allison

Broken Circles

Chapter 5

Allison

When I had woken up this morning at four, two hours before my alarm was supposed to go off, I knew that something exciting was going to happen. I quickly crawled out of bed and ran to my closet, pulling out one of the outfits my mother had worn, and after digging through the closet, I found the make up she had bought me years ago in an attempt to get me to be more girlish. She had always wanted a daughter to dress up, to come home from cheerleading practice and gush about boys to her, the perfect daughter. I had been that daughter for a short while, back in middle school when it was still ok to be whomever you wished.

Back then, however, there had been one major difference in their lives. Back then, I had someone else to talk to, to go to for guidance when I could not deal with my parents being parents anymore. It hurt to think about them, to think about that night so many years ago that changed everything; but as I sat there, staring at the stuff my mother had purchased in vain, I realized that they would have been upset with me for withdrawing like I had. For dropping out of cheerleading and distancing myself from everyone I knew, for constantly lying to everyone around me and to myself.

Shaking my head, I grabbed what I would need for the day and ran past my half-asleep father into the bathroom. I heard his sigh as he turned to head to the bathroom that was in the basement and quickly hopped into the shower. Taking a deep breath, I began the morning routine that SHE had followed all the years before; knowing that when I used the blow drier on my hair my skin would have a healthy shine to it and that most of my dandruff would be gone. It was nearly an hour later when I was finished, and looking at myself in the mirror, I could not help but feel proud of myself. I had done my makeup just as Claire had and styled my hair so that it would stay out of my face without having to be pulled back, I even trimmed my bangs.

Overall, I looked good and humming for the first time in years, I skipped to the kitchen. Dad was sitting at the table dressed for work sipping on his coffee, Mom was probably still in bed. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and nearly dropped his coffee in surprise. I tried to ignore him as I went to the fridge and pulled out two eggs, some toast and some fruit. No one knew it, but I ate normal foods for breakfast and had my odd foods for lunch and dinner. I turned around and stared at him with a soft sad smile for a moment before turning back to my breakfast.

"Hey Allison?" My dad choked out. I turned around in surprise and raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. "Would, would you perhaps throw on two eggs for me and some for your mom?" Dad had always loved my cooking, and since mom could not cook, I was usually up before everyone else to make huge banquets of food in the mornings. My throat tightened and I nodded before making more food for him and Mom.

Dad had eaten the breakfast quickly and ran out the door without so much as a thank you or goodbye; but it did not hurt so much anymore. The simple act of him asking me to cook breakfast swelled my heart with happiness. Which, of course, was ruined when my Mom came into the kitchen and ignored the breakfast I tried to hand her and just grabbed a cup of coffee before heading out the front door to do who knew what since she didn't have a job anymore. I had cleaned the kitchen quickly and had been heading out the door when Andy had called asking if he could give me a ride to school.

To say I was surprised was an understatement; there would be no denying that we were going out once he showed up to school with me, even with the others there too. So when he had shown, I couldn't help but run straight to the car; and I was pleased to see Brian holding the door open for me so I could sit next to Andy on the way to school.

Brian and Andy had separated from the group almost immediately after our arrival at school and I had felt worried for Claire when we dropped her off at her class. At least I would have John to watch out for me in class first period, I knew Claire was on her own until lunch. Still the morning events would never prepare me for my reception as I ran full speed down the hall in a desperate attempt to catch Andy before his next class. I quickly turned the corner and skidded to a halt, everyone behind me looking at me with curiosity as I took a step back.

Andy was talking to some girl leaned up against the locker next to her, laughing about something; they were standing much closer than I was comfortable with, and for the first time in my life I was jealous. Taking a deep breath, I turned to run in the opposite direction when I ran smack dab into Brian. We both hit the floor and our stuff went flying, he quickly helped me up and we gathered our stuff up before he grabbed my arm as I tried to run past him.

"Ally," He searched my face with his eyes, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head and tried to yank my arm away, he looked over my shoulder and for the first time ever, I saw Brian truly angry. His eyes narrowed and his soft baby features hardened.

"Stay here." He growled as he stormed over to Andy. I did not know what to do, so I just stood there feeling awkward and hurt.

"Andrew!" I heard Brian growl, "What on earth is this?"

I watched as Andy had turned toward Brian with a grin on his face before it slid into a look of confusion. On the other end of the hall, I saw John walking to his next class and watched the scene with amusement.

"Hey Brian, what's up buddy?" Andy could not figure out why Brian looked so mad.

"Who the hell is this?" Brian asked pointing to the girl standing next to Andy.

"This is Catherine, one of Claire's group." Andy stressed Claire's name, but Brian wasn't going to be distracted from his mission.

"Yeah well," Brian said, straightening his back, "It looks to me like you're flirting with her; and I would say it looked like that to Ally too since she's standing just behind us trying really hard not to cry."

Andy's face had a different range of emotions flow across it before worry and love flooded his eyes. He looked at me and without a word to Catherine or Brian, he walked over to me, pulling off his leathermen jacket and swung it around my shoulders. He wiped the tears from my face, making sure to not smudge my mascara, and pulled me in for a kiss. I squeaked in surprise before I kissed him back.

"YOU are my girlfriend Allison." He whispered as he pulled back. "I don't care for any other girl in school. So no matter what it may look like, you're the only one I want to flirt with, or kiss or date. You hear me?"

I turned red with embarrassment and nodded my eyes shooting to the floor. I slipped my arms into the jacket before Brian came over and informed us that the bell had rung and that we were late for class. Brian and Andy quickly talked, Brian probably apologizing for over reacting, and I pretended to not notice the look of furry and hatred on the other girls face as we went our separate ways, and I felt stupid for thinking, even for a moment, that Andy could like someone else.

Walking into art class, everyone's eyes were on me, and some of them looked ready to pass out from shock. Shooting a quick glance at my teacher, I noticed that she too was shocked, but that look of shock soon turned to a pleased smile and she nodded hello. On my section of the table was a paper that had all the directions already written upon it for the next week. I always got my assignments done early and as to not take away from the rest of the class, we had sat down and decided this was the best way to go about my lessons.

Today we were supposed to come up with a project to work on for the rest of the year; and as I read the directions, I knew instantly what I was going to do. I sat down, and after pulling out a sheet of lined paper, I began to write out an outline of my project. I made lists of what I would need for all the different stages of the project. Primarily, it would be easy, if not time consuming, but the hard part would be getting the sketches without my subjects' knowledge. It didn't take me long to move from the planning stage into the development stage; I was nearly finished with the first of many sketches when my teacher called me up to her desk. Slipping everything into my bag, I was quickly walked up to the front of the class.

"Good morning Allison." Mrs. Kindle said politely, I nodded and gave her a happy little rumble of the throat in response.

"I just wanted to let you know how happy I am that you have found someone who makes you happy." As I felt my face become guarded she rushed on, "Oh Allison don't close up like that. You know just as well as I do that this is a good thing and that it might even help your art."

I didn't reply, I just stared at her for a moment trying to figure out the real reason she brought me up here, and when I looked at the papers underneath her hands, my breath caught. They were letters from colleges that were asking about certain students within Mrs. Kindle's class. There were about 20 in all I believe, and in the seven she had out on her desk, I could clearly see my name on all of them. I smiled up at her before pointing to the college I had dreamed of going to my whole life and when she nodded, I glided back to my seat.

I had known Mrs. Kindle since my freshman year, and had quickly learned that Mrs. Kindle was fond of mind games, but if you called her on them, she would just move on with her plan. Pulling my sketchbook back out, I started working on a sketch of her to add to my project knowing that she was distracted with what she was doing and wouldn't notice. Normally I would eat my lunch in the Library and work on my sketches since I had a free period before lunch, but I was looking forward to having lunch with others for once.


	6. Samantha

Broken Circles

A/N: I made changes to All Previous Chapters, but you don't need to re-read them, for they were just spelling and grammar. ALSO, CHAPTER 7 IS ALMOST COMPLETE SO IT SHOULD BE POSTED WITHIN THE NEXT DAY OR SO.

Chapter 6

Samantha

After seeing the dynamics of Claire's new group, I knew that she would choose them over the girls. They were real, as was their affection for one another. I also knew that Claire would refuse to take the easy way out, so we would have to do this without Sarah's help. Maybe, if we were lucky, the school would back us up and there wouldn't be any issues, but the chances of that were highly unlikely. English had gone well, and we were currently in gym class and we were playing dodge ball today. After gym was lunch and then Econ. I hoped Claire was ready for the consequences of her actions.

As for John... well, I wasn't sure what to do with him. For now, I would treat him as I always had and would keep our past to myself. John didn't know it but Sarah and I had fought so hard to get her back, but Social Services thought John was a threat to her somehow and wouldn't give her to our parents out of fear that we would allow John to harm her. The morons did well by getting her out of the house but they were trying to protect her from the one member of her family who actually took care of her. That was all history though; it needed to stay in the past. Besides, it was only a few short years until we would all be 18 and free to find each other again.

I was so rapped up in my thoughts I didn't even notice that the deadly game of dodge ball had begun until I heard a fellow teammate cry out, giving me a split second to avoid the ball headed strait for my face. I quickly dodged it, falling to the floor before blowing my hair out of my face. As was usual we had been split into two teams by gender and I snarled at the smirking boy on the other side of the invisible line that divided the floor. When I grabbed three of the balls lying hazardously on the floor, his face paled and he dived behind his teammates in an effort to avoid me. Before he knew it, he was the only person on the floor and I had an almost complete team.

This boy had a new girl everyday of the week, and yesterday's girl was standing next to me looking deadly. I handed her the ball I held in my hand and watched amusedly as she tossed the ball right at him and hit him south of the belt. He groaned and fell to floor as the rest of the girls around me burst out laughing and congratulating her on a perfect hit. Our gym teacher just rolled his eyes and told us to run laps while two of the boys helped our victim to the nurses' station.

After changing out of my gym cloths and fixing my hair and make-up, I strolled off towards the cafeteria with two underclassmen who had decided that I was "like, the coolest person ever and would like, rule the world one day" flanking me. Claire had left as soon as she had changed clothes after quickly telling the other girls that she chose Bender and the others over the girls. The smile that had been on my face turned to an evil, un-amused smirk when I saw that bitch Catherine and her flock of sheep had crowded Claire and John at the "cool" table.

Looking around I saw that Brian's friends were restraining him and that Andrew hadn't arrived yet. After taking a deep breath, I borrowed my sisters' 'Bitch Walk' and strutted over to Claire.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here ladies?" I said to my two 'companions'.

Catherine and her cronies looked at us with their own smirks. John looked pissed and Claire looked worried.

"Samantha, darling." Catherine started in a sickingly sweet voice. "We were just explaining to Claire here about the repercussions to her actions."

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked in a too innocent tone, causing Catherine to look at me funny.

"She's dating this loser, meaning she can't be cool anymore. Duh!" Catherine is looking at me as if I've grown spots or something and it takes all my control to not laugh at her.

"I'm sorry." I say sweetly, "I thought Claire was queen of our clique, and as such she sets the standard. So, technically, if she does something you don't agree with, doesn't that make you the loser? And as such, you really do need to move, because only cool kids get to sit here."

The two girls behind me start snickering. "Yeah, losers, scram." They say in unison.

Catherine looks shocked and angry, but before she can say anything the select football players, wrestlers and other jocks that sit with us and a few other select females come over and sit down. They look at John expectantly and then between Claire and Catherine and then myself.

"Hey!" The blond flanking me says, she's only four foot but can't weigh more than 90 pounds wet and has beautiful blue eyes and pale skin. "Sam told you four losers to, like, scram, so shoo!" She takes a step forward and I gently motion for her to stop.

"No. We will settle this in a civilized manner." I look at the almost full table and smirk. Most of these people will vote for me just out of loyalty to my sister, not that it matters; even if we lose our "cool" status, I'm confidant that we will start our own "exclusive" group. Standing up on the bench, I clap my hands very loud, catching the attention of the lunchroom. "ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, LISTEN UP! YELL IF YOU THINK CLAIRE IS QUEEN OF COOL FOR OUR YEAR!" The cafeteria erupted into yells, even from three quarters of our table. "THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK THAT CATHERINE SHOULD RULE JUST BECAUSE CLAIRE IS DATING JOHN BENDER HOLLER YAY! IF NOT, HOLLA NAY!"

To my surprise, not a single person outside of Catherine and her crew hollered yay. "IF YOU THINK CATHERINE SHOULD BE BANISHED FROM THE COOL TABLE FOR TRYING TO OVERTHROW CLAIRE, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

The gym erupted into a single resounding yay. I looked to the entrance where Allison and Andy just walked in, and smiled when Allison burst out laughing. I looked pointedly at Catherine and her crew who were looking shell-shocked and stood down from the bench. They slowly got up, collecting their things and moved over to the only empty table in the place and I walked over to the nerd table.

"Hello Brian." I smile softly and notice the blush that runs across Brian's face and the looks of disbelief from his friends. "As a member of the BC, you are formally invited to sit at the cool table whenever you please." I heard giggles from behind me and saw Claire and Allison trying not to laugh at the shocked looks on the cool kids faces. I look at Andy, he's smirking, and John just raises a single eyebrow at me. The rest of the cafeteria is sitting in shocked silence as well and I while I know that this isn't the end, I can't help but think, bring it on.


End file.
